Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq bin Fawzan Al-Rabiah announced that female pilgrims coming to the country can now perform their pilgrimages without a mahram, or male guardian, Arab News reported.
Speaking at the Saudi embassy in Cairo, Tawfiq Al Rabiah, said: “A woman can come to the kingdom to perform Umrah without a mahram.”
Hajj and Umrah Services Adviser Ahmed Saleh Halabi said that it is now permissible for a woman to perform Hajj or Umrah without a mahram, accompanied by “trustworthy women or secure company to perform Hajj or Umrah. This is the view of the Maliki and Shafi’i scholars.”
He continued: “The supervisor of fatwa at Al-Azhar Al-Sharif in Egypt, Abbas Shoman, declared last March that a woman is allowed to perform Hajj and Umrah without an accompanying mahram,” Halabi continued.
The annual Hajj pilgrimage, which Muslims are required to do at least once in their lifetime, forms the fifth pillar of Islam.
In contrast, Umrah can be performed at any time of the year and is regarded as a lesser pilgrimage.
Islamic law mandates that male guardians accompany female pilgrims, while exceptions have been made for women travelling in large groups of other women for the Hajj or Umrah.
The announcement ends this Islamic ruling.
